Religious Liberty Department by Charles S. Longacre

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 23, 1913

Religious Liberty Department

By Charles S. Longacre

C. S. LONGACRE - - - N. Am. Div. Secretary

"Education Versus Crushing"

Under the above heading the West Side Index, published at Newman, Cal., contained the following editorial in a recent issue: —

"A rather striking contrast in the views of two ministers on kindred subjects is furnished by recent remarks of Newman and Turlock divines.

"Rev. Mr. Breeze, of Newman, last Sunday discussed Sunday celebrations of feast-days by dancing and other festivities, naturally voicing his view and that of his denomination strongly in opposition to such a custom. He did not, however, urge a drastic remedy, expressing the belief that education would eventually bring about the desired result.

"A few weeks ago a Turlock minister — we do not recall his name — in discussing another phase of the same subject, Sabbath observance, bitterly attacked the denominations which kept Saturday, denouncing them as 'trouble makers, who should be crushed as you crush a mosquito when he annoys you.'

"Which only shows that the spirit of the seventeenth century still survives in spots. Mr. Breeze's remedy, education, will win if it should win; for a cause that will not succeed through education does not deserve to succeed. The 'crushing' process, on the other hand, practically never succeeds. History is crowded with cases of 'troublesome minorities' who refused to be crushed 'as you would crush a mosquito.'"

It will be of interest to know that the term "crushed," which the Turlock minister used when he referred to the way Seventh-day Adventists should be persecuted and utterly destroyed because they keep the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath, is the identical word used in Dan. 7:25 in the Douay translation: "He shall crush the saints of the Most High." This is what the Catholic Bible says "the little horn," which waxed "more stout than his fellows," would do to "the saints of the Most High" for more than twelve centuries.

The "image of the beast," when perfected, is to speak with the voice of the dragon, and "he exerciseth all the authority of the first beast in his sight . . . whose death-stroke was healed." Rev. 13:12, R. V. From such expressions of hatred from prejudiced clergymen, it does not take much of a stretch of the imagination to understand where Satan will find his instruments to fulfil the following Scripture text: "And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman, and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus." Rev. 12:17, R. V.

This minister calls us "trouble makers," and gives this as his only reason why we should be "crushed as you crush a mosquito when he annoys you." A National Reformer recently accused us before the New York State Legislature of being "trouble makers" because our efforts were successful in defeating twenty-eight Sunday bills which were under consideration before that legislature. He was informed that we proposed to make all the trouble that we could from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf, to prevent the uniting of church and state in America.

There is a great agitation all over this country and in other countries on the subject of religious legislation, and over the encroachments of both the Catholic and Protestant organizations upon the civil polity. Counter-movements are being organized everywhere, whose constituents number millions in many cases. Let us take advantage of this great agitation by giving the people the truth upon these questions which are stirring them, so that they may line up on the right side.

We are glad that many of our people are circulating Liberty and the Protestant Magazine as never before. Thousands of new subscriptions are coming in for Liberty. The current issue of that magazine contains very valuable information which every American citizen ought to have. It is a great prejudice killer among our enemies.

If you desire to join our band of workers, send for a sample copy of Liberty. A club of ten subscriptions, which can readily be secured by calling upon such people as the Guardians of Liberty and the Patriotic Order Sons of America, will cost you only $2, or 20 cents for each subscription. Each subscriber pays 35 cents for his subscription, and you get 15 cents for your effort.

We ought to have a million subscriptions, and we can get them if we only put forth a little effort all along the line. Let us strike while the iron is hot, and keep striking until it gets hotter.

C. S. L.